Need advice; 4:3 or Widescreen, DVI and Cablecard?

Hi all. I recently joined this forum to help me make an informed decision on a new monitor. I am looking for a HD monitor that is bigger than my current 27". Currently I am leaning toward a CRT. I was looking through a showroom last night and Sony produces an excellent picture.

Most of my viewing is primetime or cable programing (HBO, Flix, Encore). So a 4:3 is still an option. But I do enjoy watching DVDs in letterbox. I just don't normally watch them during the week.

I like two particular sets. The Sony 36" KV-36HS420 and the Sony 34" widescreen KV-34HS420. Using calculators provided in another thread the 36" 4:3 provides letterbox picture only slightly smaller than the widescreen. So I would suppose it's a judgement call there. What are some opinions on these sets?

I was wondering about the importance for a monitor to have a DVI hookup and a cablecard. I am not sure about the importance of these options. One of these sets has neither. The other has only one. If someone could give me an explaination, thanks.

In your case, I would go with a 4:3 set. It's 8" larger on 4:3 material than a 34" widescreen. You can stretch 4:3 material on the widescreen but some people don't like the way it looks. The 36" is within an inch of the 34" in widescreen mode. Here is a TV to consider. It's a 36" 4:3. Since you watch mostly SD and are looking for something in this size range, it makes perfect sense. Built-in ATSC tuner, CableCard, HDMI, etc. 36" is the biggest direct-view CRT made now.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking along the same lines. However, I have been hearing that most of the shows I watch in prime time are now being broadcast in HD and wide screen. Apparently more shows are going in this direction. By next year who nows what our programing will look like.

On a side note. I was looking at a Best Buy show room tonight. I was looking for the KD-34XBR960. They didn't have one. But I found the other 34" wide screen (W.S.) from Sony. The picture didn't look so good, even compared to the 30 W.S. from Sony next to it or the 30" W.S. Phillips. The feed was digital cable from DirectTV. And the DLPs looked fantastic. I thought the DLPs didn't look as good in SDTV or EDTV. Now I'm confused. I guess the extra 4 in. stretched the picture out a little.